Member
Joined 2009
Paid Member
So, this article says we’ll have cheap renewable energy, so freed from environmental guilt we can start ordering those massive heatsinks
‘Insanely cheap energy’: how solar power continues to shock the world | Energy | The Guardian
‘Insanely cheap energy’: how solar power continues to shock the world | Energy | The Guardian
Not too true, because a low efficiency device (load) requires more power and thus, more solar cells and/or of bigger size, and thus, increased cost and space. Think on this item. I have experience in solar energy already posted in this page.
Salu2 para to2.
Salu2 para to2.
Thanx for the History article. Very interesting. Science outpaces what anyone beleived possible.
Just wait till perskovite takes off.
dave
Just wait till perskovite takes off.
dave
Dave, Perovskite does certainly have some advantages. However, dependency on lead for higher efficiency, as well as requiring outer layers to reduce degradation from environmental factors seem to be the current most limiting factors. That said, there has been successful printing of prototypes even using inkjet printers, and any other means of manufacturing requires both lower temperatures and easier manufacturing process.
Monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell with >29% efficiency by enhanced hole extraction | Science
Tandem solar cells break new record – Physics World
Monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell with >29% efficiency by enhanced hole extraction | Science
The article comes over quite optimistic about the development but I do find the history of solar cells actually a bit sad, slow and typically "human"/short-sighted.
The article is a lot about money and how cheap the solar energy became. (which in itself is not the most important achievement anyway; it´s a side-effect that helps humans with their capitalism-damaged-thinking to invest in such plants)
Humanity should have realized decades ago that solar energy is the "solution" to our growing energy demands and that it´s not about money but pure survival and limiting abuse of the planet´s resources. (like coal,nuclear etc.)
I mean humans spend billions on producing weapons and their research, inventing smart-phones and producing "trash" that people will buym instead of finding ways to raise the efficiency of solar cells. (and the eff. is still much too low and you end up with lots semiconductor trash after a couple of years; there exist chemical/biological solar cells but I´m not up to date on their feasibility,status&efficiency)
We all know that the world with billions of people can only work half! properly if we don´t use too much resources.
Of course in comparison with other things a class-A amplifier is not a big culprit but using one you already use more energy than at least 1 average person on this planet.
And don´t get me started on too low electricity costs (like in the US) that makes it affordable for every spoiled & fat "idiot" to turn on a >20kW-air-conditioning unit at 23°C because they are oh so sweaty whilst poor Pakistanis in their blistering summers at 50°C have to do without.
Just look at New york city, a place that is full of skyscrapers laced with air-con-units and probably in need of a couple of power plants on its own.
It´s not even a remotely hot place on this earth.
I think it´s important that us people with the luck & luxury living in developed countries realize that we are already using much more than our fair share of the planet. Unfortunately most people don´t and humans are just too egoistic and short-sighted to change.
Sorry for the pessimism which in my eyes is just realism.
On a positive note: go ahead and use that class-A-amp consciously but turn off that air-con now and then ;-)
The article is a lot about money and how cheap the solar energy became. (which in itself is not the most important achievement anyway; it´s a side-effect that helps humans with their capitalism-damaged-thinking to invest in such plants)
Humanity should have realized decades ago that solar energy is the "solution" to our growing energy demands and that it´s not about money but pure survival and limiting abuse of the planet´s resources. (like coal,nuclear etc.)
I mean humans spend billions on producing weapons and their research, inventing smart-phones and producing "trash" that people will buym instead of finding ways to raise the efficiency of solar cells. (and the eff. is still much too low and you end up with lots semiconductor trash after a couple of years; there exist chemical/biological solar cells but I´m not up to date on their feasibility,status&efficiency)
We all know that the world with billions of people can only work half! properly if we don´t use too much resources.
Of course in comparison with other things a class-A amplifier is not a big culprit but using one you already use more energy than at least 1 average person on this planet.
And don´t get me started on too low electricity costs (like in the US) that makes it affordable for every spoiled & fat "idiot" to turn on a >20kW-air-conditioning unit at 23°C because they are oh so sweaty whilst poor Pakistanis in their blistering summers at 50°C have to do without.
Just look at New york city, a place that is full of skyscrapers laced with air-con-units and probably in need of a couple of power plants on its own.
It´s not even a remotely hot place on this earth.
I think it´s important that us people with the luck & luxury living in developed countries realize that we are already using much more than our fair share of the planet. Unfortunately most people don´t and humans are just too egoistic and short-sighted to change.
Sorry for the pessimism which in my eyes is just realism.
On a positive note: go ahead and use that class-A-amp consciously but turn off that air-con now and then ;-)
Solar is rather short sighted. It's too variable for a primary power source - unless we have decent energy storage, and even then, some days (like today - need the lights on!) there's very little... Plus to deal with the variability of solar and wind, we need the CCGT spinning reserve (combined cycle gas turbines kept in a fast spin up state to allow for demand when wind and sun won't do it), which is inefficient. Nuclear is also a good fill in, but it's unpopular, and no one wants to invest in safe nuclear tech - perhaps because the green lobby is too strong.
Now if we had high temp superconductors, energy storage and transmission would be no longer a problem.
Until then, we need a 24/7 completely predictable renewable source. It exists - but no one will invest enough in it as it's a bit trickier. Tidal energy.
Now if we had high temp superconductors, energy storage and transmission would be no longer a problem.
Until then, we need a 24/7 completely predictable renewable source. It exists - but no one will invest enough in it as it's a bit trickier. Tidal energy.
I'd think that when you solve the storage issue, you don't need spinning reserve anymore. With smart grids you can to some extent adjust the power drawn from the grid to what is available, so that can also help a bit. Uranium-based nuclear power is way too expensive when you account for the costs of keeping the waste stored safely for thousands of years.
Let alone the decommissioning, this is just done the road from me, best payed jobs locally Trawsfynydd nuclear power station - Wikipedia
I agree that we have bigger problems than the efficiency of solar cells; namely efficient and sustainable batteries.
I can´t even start to think about the pile of batteries we´re about to produce and trash after use. And this will pile up in no time when everybody drives a car or two.
Isn´t tidal energy still very much controverse amongst scientist as it can or is supposed to have ill side-effects on tide/water currents/weather etc.?
The big advantage of solar power in comparison being that collecting the energy that reaches earth anyway is no intervention in nature.
Why would you trash batteries?
Firstly Lithium Ion batteries can be used for secondary purposes when their capacity falls below the 80% used in cars like home storage where weight and space do not matter that much and secondly they are recyclable ie over 90% of the materials used in such a battery can be retrieved and used to make new batteries.
As for tidal energy I think Gibraltar would be a good place.
The currents are not so much tied to the tides but to an exchange of water between the Atlantic and the Med due to differences in salinity/density. Up to a depth of 125m there is a near constant current of 2-3knots eastwards. Would be difficult to access but once accomplished it could yield enormous amounts of energy without hindering commercial shipping.
At greater depths of around 1000m there is an equally strong current flowing the other way.
Firstly Lithium Ion batteries can be used for secondary purposes when their capacity falls below the 80% used in cars like home storage where weight and space do not matter that much and secondly they are recyclable ie over 90% of the materials used in such a battery can be retrieved and used to make new batteries.
As for tidal energy I think Gibraltar would be a good place.
The currents are not so much tied to the tides but to an exchange of water between the Atlantic and the Med due to differences in salinity/density. Up to a depth of 125m there is a near constant current of 2-3knots eastwards. Would be difficult to access but once accomplished it could yield enormous amounts of energy without hindering commercial shipping.
At greater depths of around 1000m there is an equally strong current flowing the other way.
While batteries are currently "The" storage medium, for larger systems we have technology like F.E.S which works. I think batteries attract more attention as they are ubiquitous.
Member
Joined 2009
Paid Member
Perhaps one day the battery business will ge as big as the oil industry is/was
And instead of fighting over oil fields, they’ll be fighting over metal mines
And battery recycling will be a huge part of this new industry starting in about 15yrs
And instead of fighting over oil fields, they’ll be fighting over metal mines
And battery recycling will be a huge part of this new industry starting in about 15yrs
Last edited:
Is that really reality nowadays already? This sounds more like the ideal case in the future sometime.
Electric cars: What will happen to all the dead batteries? - BBC News
See article, they quote ~5% or less of batteries currently recycled.
Or look at smartphones with their batteries, resources, toxins. Most even land in the household. If you´re "lucky" somebody in africa scratches some of the gold off it and then burns the toxic thing.
I like to see getting by without much storage or at least something much better than we have now. Batteries are nowhere near sustainable.
Same goes with LEDs for example. It seems there is progress but efficiency aside, the LED leaves much more nasty trash than a simple bulb.
A simple bulb solar powered is actually more sustainable than a LED can ever be; well IMHO.
Anyways, sorry to ramble. What was the question? Class-A amplifiers!
What about a class-D amp with ridiculously low distortion (which certainly is reality) and one simply puts a H2-generator ala Nelson Pass in front?
Anybody ever tried something like that?
Yes, provided you connect the class A amp to replace the dump-load when the battery bank has been fully recharged.
Personally I'd rather use the dump load to heat something like a jacuzzi.
Personally I'd rather use the dump load to heat something like a jacuzzi.
I think Nelson Pass already covered this with his class A amps. Just drive down to the post office to collect the mail 2 times a week instead of 4.
But class A whatever the elec source is producing heat 
! If all the guys at Katmandou do have say 30W class A amps, will we have snow on the Everest yet ? 
... and does the monkey coffins of Seychelles will not become people boats 
?
Red ants are crying too : Red Ant (Nature) - YouTube 😀
member of the team for the first and last class A watt !
! If all the guys at Katmandou do have say 30W class A amps, will we have snow on the Everest yet ? ... and does the monkey coffins of Seychelles will not become people boats ?Red ants are crying too : Red Ant (Nature) - YouTube 😀
member of the team for the first and last class A watt !
Last edited:
Big bulbs as in Pass projects are more practical for the living room but I like the idea. Would you rather run long cables to the drain resistors under the jacuzzi or install the whole amp in the bottom?; the whole basin could be made out of aluminium!